Ophidiidae are major benthopelagic fishes with wide distribution and depth range. Three types of sonic structural patterns have been described in some studied ophidiid fishes, however, the significance of the different types of the sonic apparatus, and the distribution in the subfamilies remain unclear. In addition, although the sonic apparatus and the sonic mechanisms of the high frequency sounds produced by cusk-eels has been explained, the characteristics of extrinsic swimbladder sonic muscle is still unknown. In this study, I investigated three ophidiid subfamilies from Taiwan and reviewed the published data to study the morphological traits of their sonic apparatus. Inaddition, Hoplobrotula armata were related to study the proteomic characterization of the extrinsic swimbladder sonic muscle. Results indicate that the 13 ophidiid species in this study could be grouped into five sonic structural patterns, and three subfamilies could be separated accordingly. Furthermore, because the sister group of the family Ophidiidae-carapidae is soniferous, I suggest that the common ancestor of the three ophidiid subfamilies should also be soniferous. Comparisons made in regarded to environmental factors indicate that diversity of sonic apparatus in three ophidiids subfamiliesis depth dependent. The extrinsic swimbladder sonic muscles could be separated into ventral sonic muscle and intermediate sonic muscle. The histological cross-sections of the ventral sonic muscle fibers show peripheral ring myofibrillar region and central core and they are similar with the sonic muscle. Ventral muscle weights were higher in males than females, but the muscle fibers are smaller in males. Protein values of ventral sonic muscles showed high expression in fast and long duration constructional proteins, and males were higher in protein expression than females. Intermediate sonic muscles, on the other hand, were larger in females than males. The cross-sections of muscle fibers were similar to the white muscle. Expression in the fast constructional related protein in the intermediate sonic muscle was higher than ventral sonic muscles, and the metabolically related protein was lower than ventral sonic muscles. The phylogeny of ophidiiform fishes is not clear at present; the sonic-apparatus diversity in ophidiid fishes observed in this study becomes useful to reveal the relationship phylogenetic of ophidiids fishes. Regard the physiology of sound production, I suggest that the larger ventral sonic muscle in males are be provides a better constructional ability, and their smaller fibers are adaptative for energy metabolism regarded for continuous fast constraction and fatigue resistance. The longer intermediate sonic muscle in females is a better constructional ability than male. In intermediate sonic muscle were be fast constructional related protein, higher in expression than the ventral sonic muscles, the metabolic related protein was lower than the ventral sonic muscles. These results suggest that the intermediate sonic muscle has a hight constructional ability but has a disventage of being easily fatigue.